A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.
— Rosalynn Carter, American writer and activist
*Over* the past few weeks, talk is rife about an impending cabinet reshuffle.
This has become necessary as the vacancy left by the passing of the former Domestic Trade and Costs of Living Minister Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub has not been filled.
The late Salahuddin passed away in July. The prime minister has waited for some time to find the replacement for the Parti Amanah Negara (PAN) deputy president.
In August, it was the six state elections in Selangor, Penang, Negeri Sembilan, Kedah, Terengganu and Kelantan.
It is believed that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim intentionally waited for the state polls to conclude in order to make a more comprehensive assessment of the situation.
However, much time has passed. The state elections happened followed by the by-elections of Simpang Jeram and Pulai. The result from polling day for the Pelangai by-election will be known today.
Surely, it is now time for a cabinet reshuffle, either a minor reshuffle to name a new Domestic Trade and Costs of Living Minister or a more thorough rework.
As it stands, all signs are pointing to a major reshuffle with Anwar expected to take the opportunity to shift things around in his cabinet.
He was expected to do so this week, but this did not happen as he was scheduled for an overseas trip to Abu Dhabi on Thursday (Oct 5).
Many analysts have been making predictions on who will be involved in the cabinet reshuffle with them naming the ministers who are likely to be axed.
Among the names mentioned was Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu who has been under tremendous pressure over the local rice shortage and skyrocketing prices of the food item.
He has been blamed for his bungled response to the issue with Malaysia Chinese Association (MCA) calling for his removal, a sentiment echoed by observers.
As dropping Mohamad Sabu entirely from the cabinet appears to be inconceivable to maintain power dynamics and harmony within Pakatan Harapan (PH), he will be moved to helm other ministries.
Similarly, Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh is tipped for a portfolio change. This was due to disappointing youth support for the federal government in the recent elections as well as Malaysia’s failure to do well at the SEA Games earlier this year.
Among the other changes that are expected to be made is the inclusion of Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) and MCA in the Cabinet. This is apparently being pushed by Barisan Nasional (BN).
Currently, they are not being represented possibly due to political factors so as to not affect the Democratic Action Party (DAP).
MIC deputy president Datuk Seri M. Saravanan, the former human resources minister is tipped for a return to the cabinet.
This is said to be a political move to shore up government support from the Indian community, after an apparent swing in Indian votes to the opposition in the six state elections in August.
One name that has been touted to be included in the cabinet by observers and political leaders is former second finance minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani.
Johari had served in that position during the BN administration with prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak serving as finance minister.
With the situation in this government whereby the prime minister is holding the position of second finance minister, it necessitates the addition of a second finance minister to smoothen day to day administration at the Finance Ministry.
Johari is seen as a highly capable technocrat and is a chartered accountant and could bring much needed experience and expertise to the role.
Regardless, as with anything, Anwar has to maintain the balance of his cabinet composition and has to do so with the least political implications.
As many Pakatan supporters would remind the others, this government is not a Pakatan government. It is a unity government comprising a large number of political parties and they must be appeased.
The prime minister does not have the luxury of making unilateral decisions without expecting severe political repercussions.
Any blunders would definitely be exacerbated and played out in the public sphere where some parties have the tendency to air their dirty laundry in the media.
A cabinet reshuffle is imminent. The question is whether he has the vigour to axe underperforming ministers and possibly rock the boat or will he play it safe at the expense of having deadwoods in his cabinet?
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of New Sarawak Tribune.
